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Law of Succession
The Martial Law and Law of Succession outline the procedures for proposing a change to the delegate seat or for times of crisis regarding the delegate seat. This procedure has been used ad nausium throughout the history of The South Pacific, as many have tried to run for delegate only to fail for a number of reasons. Preamble As the position of Delegate is of vital import to the security of the region, the following governs the way changes in Delegate shall take place. As the position of Delegate is a position given great power by the NationStates world, and that power threatens the democratic government chosen by the people of the South Pacific, it is necessary to ensure that power cannot be abused. Containing the absolute power of the Delegate is the only way to guarantee stable and democratic representative government. This law is designed to achieve that goal. Text # Any nation wishing to seek the Delegacy of the South Pacific must meet the following conditions: ## Must have been a registered member of the off-site forums of the South Pacific for a period no less than three months before announcing their intentions, under the provisions of this law ## Must have had their UN nation resident in the South Pacific for a period of no less than thirty (30) days ## Must have collected a minimum of 150 endorsements # Any nation gaining a percentage of endorsements equal to or exceeding 50% of the current delegate's endorsement total shall be asked to make a Statement of Intent. The Declaration of Intent must be posted, by the nation in question, in the Delegate’s Board, under the Bravest Little Toaster thread. The Declaration will be an open topic, with the citizens of the South Pacific able to ask questions of the nation. The Declaration will be advertised in the World Fact Book Entry. The Statement of Intent must include answers to the following questions: ## If the nation is intending to run for the Delegacy ## If the nation belongs to any outside organizations ## If the nation proposes any changes to the current structure of the government. # A nation that breaches the threshold of 50% of the current Delegate's endorsements will be asked by a designated member of the Cabinet to state their intentions, under Article 2 of this Law. They will be asked three (3) times, during a period of at least forty eight (48) hours. If a nation does not respond to the request for a Statement of Intent within the time specified above, and remains above the 50% threshold, that nation shall be subject to temporary expulsion from the region until the next game update, thereby eliminating their endorsements, at which time the ban shall be lifted and the nation allowed back into the region. # A nation is deemed to be hostile if: ### A nation does not respond to the request for a Statement of Intent within the time specified above, and remains above the 50% threshold. ### A nation has breached the 50% threshold and is deemed to be a member of a invasion force, notwithstanding any declarations made in any Statements of Intent. ### A nation has made a Statement NOT to run for Delegacy, but does not make a reasonable effort to get and remain below the 50% threshold. ### A nation continues to actively seek endorsements (commonly known as endo-tarting) after requests for their Statement of intent. Endo-tarting is defined as being when a nation actively solicits endorsements by sending large numbers of Telegrams or requests via the RMB. ## When a nation passes the threshold of 40%, a message will be sent to notify them of the Law of Succession. ## A nation that breaches the threshold of 50% of the current Delegate's endorsements will be asked by a designated member of the Cabinet to state their intentions, under Article 2 of this Law. They will be asked three (3) times, during a period of at least forty eight (48) hours. ## This does not affect the rights of the nation to challenge the Cabinet's ruling through the established appeals process. ## A hostile nation may be subject to temporary expulsion until the next game update, thereby eliminating their endorsements, at which time the ban shall be lifted and the nation allowed back into the region. ## The Minister of Justice must post a ruling containing evidence of a nation's hostile behavior within twelve (12) hours of said nation being ejected from the region. Nations expelled have the right of appeal. ## Only the Delegate and Vice Delegate are permitted to exceed the 50% threshold. ## Under a 'State of Emergency' and in the time period following a change in Delegacy, the Delegate has the authority to permit other trusted nations to temporarily exceed the 50% threshold to safeguard regional security. # Any nation expelled three (3) times for breaching the 50% threshold without posting a Statement of Intent, as required under Article 2 of this Law, may upon a majority vote by the Council of the South Pacific, following the laws that govern such votes, be permanently expelled from the region. # A nation, having qualified under Article 1 of this law, and having breached the 50% threshold and having made a Statement of Intent, automatically triggers the following process: ## A topic must be opened, within forty eight (48) hours by the Delegate, in the Delegate’s Board, to allow open debate between contenders for the Delegacy, and for questioning from nations of the South Pacific ## A statement containing the names of all contenders, a link to the debate and the fact there is a Succession Contest must be placed in the World Fact Book Entry # The Succession contest will be held in two phases ## The first phase will last for fourteen (14) days, during which the nation seeking delegacy may gain no more than 85 % of the endorsements of the current delegate. ## After the first phase, the second phase will begin, which will last for another 14 days. During the second phase the contenders may compete for the position of Delegate. # If at any point during the period of the second phase of the Succession Contest the Delegacy changes hands, the new Delegate, with the full authority of that office under the Charter, may expel, until the next game update, all other contenders, including the former Delegate, who must be re-admitted following said update. # If the fourteen (14) days of the second phase of the Succession Contest expires without any change in the Delegacy any contenders who remain in breach of the 50% threshold shall be expelled from the region, until the next game update. category:Laws